Dating Woes
by Herpalerp
Summary: Just one night out. That's all Bren wanted was a nice night out. If he could get a hug from Tango, what was one date? There's just one problem with that… One-shot


A/N: Since there wasn't a lot of feedback on what types of ships to be featured, my beta gave me a whole list (and man was it fun coming up with a story to go with it). It's not as long as I thought it'd be, but that's cause I'm now really busy with the other story sequel.

So here you go. A little story that takes place somewhere in season 3 (probably) Enjoy!

* * *

Two weeks

It had been two long, (exhausting) weeks since the incident at Mechanopolis, and two weeks since Bren had gotten to interact with his crush, Tango. Sure it wasn't a kiss (a hug in the spur of the moment) but it was close enough for him. Just that single interaction was enough to give Bren a little hop in his step afterwards.

But after that there was hardly anything going on. Sure they would see each other at lunch, but neither of them made the effort to talk to each other. (Only once did Bren try, but became so flustered he had nearly dropped his lunch tray on some of the other soldiers who happened to be near by). Now it felt like she was avoiding him.

He was starting to wonder if he did something wrong, or if she didn't feel that strongly towards him.

But this weekend would be different. He had a day off, as did Tango. He would make this work.

...

There was only one problem with that.

HLP

"Hey... Um. Dax?"

The lowlander glanced up a little as the two sat at lunch (on the far side away from Tango and the rest of the Strike Squad). When the other didn't respond immediately, Bren cleared his throat a bit.

"Um... I need to ask you a question," he said quietly.

Dax raised a brow, "Does this have to do with the jelly you found in your shoes? I already told you it was all Beyal's-"

"I-want-a-date!" Bren screeched.

The two stared awkwardly at each other for a few seconds, some of the nearby guards turning towards the table at the outburst, Bren immediately caught what he blurted out and turn red.

Dax turned away, starting to go red as well, "Look Glasses. I like you as a friend but I'm not into that-"

Bren banged his forehead on the table.

"Not you," he muttered, then looked up with reddened cheeks, "I-I want to ask Tango. B-But I'm not really good with that kind of stuff. A-and since you seem to be a l-ladies man. Um-"

"Wait. You want advice? From me?" Dax asked, a bit amused. Bren flushed again, nearly turning beet red.

"I-I mean... We've talked occasionally. But other then the incident with Mechanopolis a few weeks back she hasn't really said anything," Bren stammered, "S-s-so I thought I would make the first move."

It was well known by everyone in his group that he like Tango (though most of them dismissed it as a crush). He really felt strongly towards her, but had no way of really telling her without messing it up every time.

(And it didn't help that she hung around the other Strike Squad members who were quick to make fun of him)

(he really didn't like them)

"W-Well? you going to help me or not?"

Dax hummed loudly in thought. While he would find it entertaining to watch the other stumble while trying to talk to a girl other then Jinja, it would be a little too cruel to let him sink before he even had a chance.

"Alright," he said, grabbing his tray and getting up, "But we gotta find someone real fast."

HLP

Bren sat on the bed cross-legged, arms folded tightly and humming in frustration.

"C'mon Glasses. It's not that hard. Just tell 'her' you would like a date," Dax said, leaning on one of the walls nearby, watching in amusement. Bren only hummed more angrily.

"Tango," Bren started, looking up to the other in front of him, ears starting to go red, "W-w-would you d-d-do me the pleasure of- I can't look at you when your staring at me like that."

Dax let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"But Bren, this is how I always stare," Beyal said, also cross legged on the bed and smiling casually. They had been sitting in Dax's room for nearly an hour now trying to help Bren figure out what to say for his potential date. Unfortunately, he couldn't even get past the asking part.

"Dax do I really have to say this in front of both of you? Why can't I do it in front of a mirror or something," he asked.

"We've gone over this. You can practice all you want by yourself, but that's nothing compared to having an actual person there," Dax remarked.

"But why does it have to be Beyal? All he does is stare," Bren groaned, "no offense."

"It's called practice, Glasses," Dax said, getting off the wall and walking over to them, "And I told you to imagine he's Tango. And if you can't even say this while pretending how're you going to say it to Tango in person? Your palms get sweaty just at the mention of her."

"They do not," Bren snapped (immediately wiping his hands on his shorts).

"Look, just. Try to go through the motions. It's easier relying on muscle memory," Dax said, sitting on the other side of the bed, "Or we could always ask Jinja to practice on-"

"Ah! Um-no. This is fine," Bren stammered. (The last thing he needed was Jinja to start making fun of him too).

(She'd never let him live it down)

He let out another sigh, then locked eyes with the monk. He frowned at the dopey eyed teen, so he tried to imagine the raven-haired girl instead. Her dark eyes... the way her hair was always pulled back neatly... The slightest accent in her voice.

(His palms weren't getting sweaty)

"Tango," he sighed, his throat becoming dry, "W-w-would you do me the pleasure of c-c-coming with me to dinner this weekend?"

Beyal continued to smile and shook his head.

"No."

Immediately, Dax burst into laughter as Bren felt his ears get red.

"Why would you- did you tell him to say that Dax?"

"Oh c'mon Glasses. It's all in good fun," Dax said, chuckling a little, "Besides, what're you going to if if she says no?"

Bren frowned, but dropped his gaze. What would he do? He couldn't see that as a possibility, but it was likely. Would a nice dinner alone be enough of a reason to go on a date with him? Or even just because he was the one asking? What if she would rather hang out with her teammates? Maybe if he could...

He snapped his fingers. Of course! A double date! More people means less awkwardness, and if they go in a group, then she would feel more inclined to go!

"Beyal," Bren said leaning foward with a smile at his plan, "Go on a date with me."

There was a split second of silence before Dax burst into another fit of laughter. Beyal went red.

"Umm. No...?" The monk said, "But that was nice of you-"

"Ugh! Not just you," Bren huffed, "With Jinja. Like a double date."

Dax was able to stop his laughter for a moment and slyly looked at the other, "Not a bad idea. Smooth Glasses. I guess with those two around you can't possibly mess this up. Though knowing you, you probably will."

Bren glared at the other before turning back to Beyal, who was now fiddling his thumbs nervously. Sure having Jinja tag along was bound to have problems, but even she mellowed out when the monk was around. Heck, if it was Beyal asking her, maybe she would behave the whole time.

"Please! Just for one night!" Bren begged. Beyal continued to shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. It was well known that the monk was more on the shy side, and was a more then a little awkward (more so then Bren).

"Um... Well... I... Uh," Beyal mumbled out. Dax raised a brow out the other, and let out a sigh.

"Oh that's right!" he said a bit theatrically, "He can't on Friday. 'Cause we got a mission to go on."

Beyal raised a brow at the other, "We do?"

"Yup. And it's gonna take the whole day," the lowlander said, clapping a hand on the monk's shoulder, "you'll just have to ask someone else to go along."

Bren let out a frustrated groan, "Ugh! You're both useless."

He stomped out, intending to find someone to ask for help. The only other person he could think of would be Chase, and he didn't seem to fancy anyone (that he knew of). And asking him to go out with Jinja for the night was a little... Strange.

But that thought came to a halt when he bumped right into the two of them.

"Oh Bren! Just the guy I wanted to see," Chase said, "We're going to the movies on Friday. Wanna come?"

Bren blinked, then gave a silent thank you. He could just casually invite Tango to tag along and say she wanted to come with them as friends. And a movie meant no talking (that would take care of Jinja). Then, maybe he could sit a few seats away and make his move. This was perfect.

"Yes!" he exclaimed.

Jinja raised a brow at his enthusiasm, "Someone's excited. I'll go find Dax and Beyal and ask them."

Crag. Not perfect.

"Ah! Um... Actually!" Bren squeaked, blocking Jinja's path, "They're going on a mission on Friday. It can just be the three of us."

The two exchanged looks.

"Okay," Chase shrugged, the two of them walking off. Bren breathed a sigh of relief. Now he just had to ask Tango-

"Oi! Geek!"

He turned to see Alpha, Bravo, and Tango walking up. The red head glared a bit, but didn't seem hostile.

"Yeah?" Bren asked, trying not to look nervous (especially in front of Tango).

"Where's Chase at?" he asked, "he said he'd battle me after our mission was over."

Bren groaned a little, "he went down that way."

Alpha nodded, then started to walk down the hall with the others. When Tango passed by, Bren felt his heart beat faster. Without even realizing it, he reached out for her shoulder.

"Um... T-T-Tango?" He squeaked. She turned around, looking at his awkward outstretched hand. He immediately lowered it.

"I was uh-wondering," he started, but stopped when he saw Alpha and Bravo staring back as well.

(He suddenly became very aware of how much his palms were sweating)

"Wondering what?" she asked.

"I-If you-" he stammered, trying not to look directly at her, "Could... if you want that is..."

"Hurry up Tango!" Mission starts in twenty and I want to take down Suno in ten," Alpha said.

"Coming!" she said. Crag! She was leaving! It was now or never.

"Come with me to the movies!" he shouted. The other three jumped and looked at him. He flushed instantly, and cleared his throat.

"I-I mean. Would you like to come to the movies? Chase and Jinja were going, so maybe we can all go as a group?" he said, laughing nervously as he tried steading his voice. Tango glanced at the other two.

"Sure," she said. The three of them walked off in the direction of Chase and Jinja. As soon as they were gone, Bren immediately started to jump for joy. Who said he didn't have the moves?

HLP

"Hurry up Bren, we're going to be late," Chase said as he stood by Jinja (who was currently paying for the large boxes of candy and popcorn that the other was carrying). Bren felt his leg twitching in worry as he looked towards the entrance for Tango. Did she forget? Did she have second thoughts and decide to bail?

"Oi! Suno!"

Bren froze at the voice, and turned around slowly to see Alpha, Tango, and Bravo standing over by the hall to the theaters. It was a little strange to see them out of their typical uniforms, but all Bren could think about at the moment were three things.

1-Why the crag were they here?

2-Were they ALL here?

3-Tango looked really cute in a regular top and jeans.

"Hey there," Chase said, "Want some popcorn? Or skittles? You'll probably have to get some now before I eat them all."

Alpha gave him a slightly annoyed look, but smiled nonetheless. He motioned over his shoulder towards the left.

"Show's over there," he said. The group turned to go, though Bren was a lot slower. Immediately, he went over to Jinja.

"Hey," he whispered, "What're they all doing here?"

Jinja raised a brow, "What do you mean 'what're they doing here'? You invited them. They told us after we asked you."

Bren felt his shoulders drop, and froze. His outburst in the hall. He forgot to direct it to just Tango. He let out a groan.

"I'm a little surprised to be honest," Jinja said as the two stood in the hall as the rest of them piled into the theatre, "I didn't think you wanted to be friends with them."

"I don't," Bren sighed, putting a hand to his head, "Just a misunderstanding."

"Really? You ought to practice with making yourself clearer," Jinja shrugged, then went inside as well. Bren clenched his fist angrily. Somehow, he felt this was Dax's fault.

Stomping inside after the red-haired girl, he turned the corner up to the stairs, keeping his eyes on the ground as he tried taking deep breaths. He could still make this work. As long as he sits near Tango and try to ignore the rest of them, the night could still be saved-

Something smacked against his face, and he caught it before it could fall. He glanced down to see it was a bag of gummy bears.

"Sorry about that Glasses!"

He whipped his head up in horror to see not just Dax, but Beyal and the other two Strike Squad members sitting in the row right above the rest of them.

"What're you doing here?!" he shouted, not bothering to hide his shock.

"Oh, we were invited," Beyal said with an innocent smile, "Chase told Alpha who told X-Ray who told Kilo who told me that you guys were going to the movies!"

Bren inwardly groaned. Of course Alpha would invite the rest of them. But since when did the other Strike Squad members start talking to Beyal? (And was that a blush on Kilo's face as he sat next to the monk?)

He shook his head furiously. Whatever. That didn't matter right now. Not with one seat left, it being the one on the end next to Tango.

"Oh by the way Bren," Beyal continued as Bren took a seat below him and Dax, "Weren't you supposed to be on a-"

"Q-Quiet!" Bren hissed, flying out of his seat and launching himself onto the other in a vain attempt to shush him, "I-I'm working on it! J-Just stop making it obvious!"

"The only one making it obvious is you," Dax whispered, pushing him off the white-haired teen, "And why didn't ya invite us?"

"Cause you two said you were on a mission!" Bren snapped, throwing the bag of gummy bears back at the lowlander, "Or was that some lie because you didn't wanna help?"

"Is something wrong over there?" Chase asked, half a hot dog crammed in his mouth. He was on the far side of their group by Jinja (which was probably a good thing).

"N-No!" Bren said, hopping back over his seat. Luckily he was sitting next to Tango, though she was sitting next to Alpha. Hopefully that won't cause problems.

As the previews started, Dax started making comments, as did Bravo. Chase was talking to Jinja in between bites, and X-Ray was making a poor attempt to talk to Alpha as he sat in the row above. (at least the theatre was empty).

Bren took a steady breath. This was a good time as any.

"So. Um. Tango," he said, turning to the other, "Um... So how was your day?"

The raven-haired girl was leaning on her arm, chin on her palm as she watched the screen with disinterest. She seemed to be thinking intensely seeing that she didn't response.

Bren leaned a little closer, and cleared his throat. She blinked a few times, and looked over.

"What?" she asked, staring at him. Suddenly, Bren felt his confidence drain through his feet. Instead of words, he croaked out a garbled noise.

"Hey Tango."

They both turned to her other side at Alpha, who was watching Jinja and Chase talking next to him with a frown.

"Could you go get me a few snacks," he said, handing her a wad of cash as he continued to stare. She blinked, then got up. Bren watched as she walked down the stairs and back towards the hall.

There was a tap on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Dax giving him a look. He motioned with his eyes to go after her, and Bren shook his head quickly. Even though he really wanted to be alone with Tango, he knew there was a good chance he'd mess things up as soon as he tried to speak (again).

Dax rolled his eyes, and leaned back in his seat to make more comments. Bren let out a sigh. He could hear everyone else chatting and laughing, and felt anxious as he thought about what will happen when Tango comes back. As the previews came to an end, he felt the butterflies in his stomach doing backflips. Now wasn't the time for excuses.

He took a shaky breath, and got up. He trailed down the stairs, trying to figure out what to say.

Unfortunately, because he was thinking too much, he walked right into a rather intimidating group.

"Hey, watch it!" The one he bumped into exclaimed. Bren gulped a little at the sight of taller and much brawnier teens.

"Ah!- Um. Sorry!" Bren squeaked, straightening up as he quickly looked around to see if Tango was nearby. He tried to walk around the group, but was stopped as a hand grabbed a hold of the front of his jacket.

"Weren't you even paying attention runt? You ran right into my soda and spilt it all over my jacket!" the guy said, shaking Bren a bit in his grasp, "Do you know how hard it is to clean leather?"

"Um… No…?" Bren chuckled awkwardly, then held up his hands, "Look. I-I don't want any trouble! I hear soda can be a good way to soften fabrics!"

This guy wasn't having it, and neither did the rest of his crew. Bren gulped as they all cracked their knuckles. Why did he have the worst timing of getting into distress? He shut his eyes as the guy pulled his arm back for a punch.

"Hey!"

Bren peered through a little, seeing Tango standing in the hall with her arms crossed and eyes blazing. For some reason, her angry expression made Bren's heart feel more happy then terrified.

"What do you want, girlie?" the guy said, immediately dropping Bren to the ground. He crawled back a little, watching as the guy went right up to the raven-haired girl. Tango's gaze didn't waver, even with the other practically towering over her.

"You really ought to pick someone your own size," Tango said, "Even I could take you on without even trying. Get lost."

The guy looked to the others in his group, who all started to chuckle.

"Yeah right," he said, "And there's no way a pipsqueak like you could-"

He barely finished his sentence as Tango took him down in one swift movement. The others just stood by gawking while Bren couldn't help but smile. In a flash, Tango looked up with a fierce stare, as if to challenge them all to move. None of them did, and instead turned tail and ran off, as did the guy she threw down. Bren let out a laugh of relief. He knew that she could be intimidating, but to scare away all of them in one look was impressive.

(Although seeing that Jinja could do that, maybe it was just the girls he was around)

"Bren."

He looked up, Tango now having a strangely peaceful expression. She held a hand out for him. He grabbed it, mumbling a thank you.

"Let's get back to the movie,"she simply said, then turned to start walking. Oh no. She was leaving! He had the chance to be cool and she ended up helping him instead! He had to do something, or he'd never get this chance again!

"W-wait!" he said, grabbing her shoulder. She turned around, hair fluttering.

"… What?" she simply asked. Bren felt his voice get lost. He just had to speak, why was it so hard? He could do it normally before. Crag! He even tried to give her things on a daily basis to try and impress her. But that was when she wasn't interested. Now she was at least giving him full attention, but that might've been a bad thing now that he felt those piercing eyes staring back at him.

"I-I-I," he stuttered. He bowed his head, his nerves getting the best of him. Why couldn't he do this? Maybe it was all the times he wasn't really able to stick up for himself, in pretty much anything. His siblings saw to that. And while Chase and Jinja were always helpful, even they had the tendency to push him towards the background when things got tough. It was so simple, and yet, this was also so hard.

Was it… really worth it? He let his hand fall from her shoulder, "… Nevermind."

He started to walk past her, fully intending on going back to the theatre and putting this behind him. He stopped as soon as he felt her hand grab his arm.

"Bren."

He turned around, seeing her with a rather sheepish look.

"I get it. You have feelings for me," she said, going quiet towards that last part, "I just… Well… I want to have feelings for you too."

Bren felt his heart starting to sink. Oh great. The 'I wish I could but I don't speech'. He could already feel the embarrassment rising to his cheeks. He just wanted to crawl into a hole and die at this point.

"B-but I really just want to take time with this," she said, shuffling her feet, "So… Maybe you could… I don't know… Ask me on a date?"

Bren felt his heart flutter and stop all at once.

"Wait. You don't think this is a date?" he asked, hope rising in his chest.

Tango raised a brow, "No. Why would I? You went and brought everyone else along, according to Chase."

"B-But you were there in the hallway when I asked you! Didn't you think I was asking you on a date?" Bren said in a rather shrilled voice.

"I thought you meant all of us. You said you wanted to go as a group," Tango said, putting a hand to her hip. He inwardly groaned. Yep. He definitely had a way with words.

"I… Um… Forget about it," he said, letting out a nervous laugh, "Y-yeah! I-We can do that! Whenever you want!"

Tango seemed to breath in relief as well.

"Good. Can we go right now?" she said, in a rather surprising manner.

"Wait. Why? Don't you want to see the movie?" Bren asked. She shook her head.

"Not really. Not with the rest of my teammates there," she huffed a bit, "They can be a bit overbearing sometimes. I think… A night without them could be nice."

Bren felt like doing backflips. Maybe this date night wasn't such a bad idea after all.

* * *

A/N: There you go. Just a small little one-shot of a night out for everyone. I might do another, just because it'd be interesting to see what everyone else would do in terms of their first dates. (They can be pretty awkward after all)

Review Review Review! (If only with more suggestions!)


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